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30082008

Ted Tedford(11:22:38) :

Thanks for a great column on Sarah Palin. It was thorough and precise and told me enough about her to give me the willies and keep me awake at night.
Please keep us informed about the Trooper-gate issue and anything else a good blogger like yourself can dig up. Oh, and by the way, what is your name?

Palin espouses the views of many Americans whose voices have been silenced by the secular leftists. The Dems believe they champion the rights of the masses, when in fact, they opress the majority of middle class Americans who believe that hard work is the solution to porverty–not the redistribution of the money people earn honestly. Marx’s opium has been replaced with government programs (that are ineffective) and liberal think in our educational system. Dems fail to recognize that real Tyrany begins with the brain-washing of our children (just look at our elementary school systgem and the University System and the intrenched secular-progressive thought that prevails) and the systematic moral break down brought upon the belief that morality is relavent and not absolute. The impoverished will remain so, as long as the liberals keep spoon feeding those who are eager to open their mouths and stick out their hands rather than pick up a shovel or a pencil and get to work.

Love your blog and found the information on Palin timely. I will pass it on to my fellow Democrats.
I do not anticipate her attracting many Hillary supporters or women as she stands for everything opposite to Senator Clinton and women’s rights.
Most people take her selection as an insult to accomplished women and to the American people.
They are even questioning McCain’s judgment and sanity.
What happens if a Governor is found guilty of abuse of power even if it is for soapopera reasons?
Has she accepted the VP job despite having an infant with Down’s Syndrome–a job she does not understand–because she is about to be removed from office?

30082008

Gbryan(13:18:54) :

This was a very informative blog and I appreciate the attempt to drag Palin through the “Mudflats”, but as an Alaskan seeing all this through the eyes of a liberal media, she’s already accomplished what needed to happen. MSBNC, CNN, NY Times, etc… they all got slapped across the face by this. As a mediocre McCain supporter looking at all the possibilities, all I saw was a list of the same old names. I thought to myself, “maybe I should write him a letter and ask if I can be his running mate”. I’d love the chance to negotiate non-proliferation, foreign policy, and economic spending! But, instead we got someone far more qualified than a joe shmoe like me, with minor baggage (by-the-way, I’d like my governor to maintain the right to fire whomever he or she desires to get the job done), a normal husband and a normal family. At least when she looks at those treaties and those foreign policy political train wrecks, we’ll know where she’s coming from and to whom she owes her loyalty. She loves her state, but if you knew anything about her, you’d also know that she loves her country. Unlike Obama and Biden, America hasn’t “embarrassed” her and she cherishes her citizenship and her country more than either of those men combined. I’m currently a deployed sailor missing Alaska and the news of our very own “hockey mom” possibly headed to Washington has done more to energize this election and motivate the common man (and woman) to shout out “FINALLY SOMEONE NEW” than anything could have. “Under qualified” is the liberal term for refreshing and untainted… exactly what this country needs Though I don’t want to see McCain kick the bucket, I would love to see this brilliant woman as Commander in Chief! At least I’d have a little more hope that our country’s political system isn’t completely corrupt. So here’s to every middle class American wanting to be heard!

30082008

Evelyn Roebuck(14:18:14) :

After learning the facts in your column and seeing the comments still supporting her………I feel like I am dreaming…….let me go throw up.

30082008

dp(16:34:05) :

Gbryan, You’ve never been embarrassed by your country’s behavior in the world? Everything it does is right, because it’s YOUR country? Therefore it can do no wrong? I personally am severely embarrassed, particularly upon hearing that upwards of 600,000 Iraqi people have died as a result of our invasion. Yes, died. Can someone reasonably tell me why? I can recommend two books for you: “The Arrogance of Power” written by the late honorable US senator J. William Fulbright. Written in 1966 (!), Fulbright’s criticism of our intervention in Vietnam leads to his concluding that a true patriot has a “duty of dissent”. The other book is Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States of America”. It will change your life, enough said.

30082008

J.C.H(16:51:25) :

I think Gov.Palin is an all American person,and that is more than I can say about
the obama’s and the biden’s. I think obama is worried Senator McCain picked
a running mate that is not going to sit down and shut up.

30082008

PS(17:10:33) :

Please, super American, respect our language. Obama’s is not the plural. It means one Obama owns something, like Obama’s pencil, or belongs to something like Obama’s loyalty to his Kansas Grandmother. The apostrophe indicating the possessive form is challenging to some, yet it is part of our language. Real Americans can use real English. It is quite OK.

30082008

MujerAlta(22:12:21) :

Informative, interesting blog and gallery …. Sarah Palin may have lots of wonderful qualities. She and I, like myself and lots of other people, would agree on some things and disagree on others. It’s just that the United States, being the leader of the Free World, having the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and being involved in all kinds of complicated national and international dealings, deserves leaders with the life-experiences, sophistication and world-views that match the country’s needs. She’s lead a life sheltered by both her far-away location and her religion. I can’t imagine her successfully presiding over the Senate let alone stepping up, if need be, to fill the shoes of the President.

“In this world, of ordinary people, extra-ordinary people, I’m glad there is you.”

Couldn’t sleep last night, and wouldn’t sleep, just who is this angel faced warrior coming out of Alaska that will be breast feeding her four month old little “Trig” or “Track” while her eldest boy is going to Iraq and her husband will be stalking the salmon as she hits the trail?

Why are men of menopausal age saying she is Viagra for the soul and laughing their way through surfing the channels? Something is not right, 24 hours after the rock star finale of Obama and Biden I am caught in a cultural snafoo which boggles the mind, especially when people are telling me I looked like her at age 44…and to think I could barely breast feed and had to call the La Leche League ten times before my milk came in and she is off and running.

I think she has a savvy strut and I salute Sarah…and my love for her runs deep!

As someone who, once upon a time, was involved in a custody suit and had a case go to the Supreme Court, I know what a “Troopergate” can be like and I am glad Molly has a sister and a family to be there for her which has nothing to do with the vice-presidency. It is still a man’s world, I’m just glad that John McCain is putting Cindy in the background; I’m sick of her daily hairdo’s changing and Sarah has great hair…if I sound like an old gal from the “I Like Ike” era let it be…let the music play…and the beat goes on….YES ALASKA! YES SARAH PALIN and HELP IS ON THE WAY FOR MOLLY!

31082008

Haley(07:42:04) :

Thanks for this blog.
I intend to link to this.
I am a 52 year old white Christian American woman and I will not be voting forMcCain/Palin.
The minute I heard her high, shrill voice and saw her demeanor on stage
I instantly disliked her. I thought to myself ” give her a chance, let her introduce herself ” and so I continued to watched.
I listened to her speak almost until the end. I then did some fact checking.
( not the so called pregnancy scandal ) but the real meat and potatoes kind of fact checking. This woman is another liar just like the Bush/Cheny regime.
So ” Thanks but No Thanks “ Sarah, as you say you had said to Congress about the Bridge to Nowhere. I think I will look for a truth teller.
Your very first public appearance commences with a bold face lie.
You did not even possess the good sense not to fly as you were about to give birth to a special needs and pre-mature infant and you want us to trust
you with the possibility of stepping in as President of the United States?
You can be Pro-Life, that is your choice. Having that choice is exactly my point, its your CHOICE, please do not deny others their CHOICE.
I am actually Pro-Life as well, but I am sane enough not to force upon others a ” my way or the highway ” way of thinking.
You referred to Hillarys eighteen million cracks in a glass ceiling as if you had accomplished something that you have not. That honor belongs to Ms. Clinton, not to you Sarah. I am not even a Hillary supporter, but I give credit where it is due and it does not belong to you.
My thoughts regarding McCains obvious attempt at gaining the Hillary crowd…..??? Not A Snowballs Chance In ……..

31082008

oxymoron(12:10:43) :

Thanx for your commentary. Although it is clearly partisan, it is helpful to those of us who actually want the opportunity to get to know your Governor before forming an opinion. It is clear to me that she has many outstanding qualities, and like all of us, perhaps some not so outstanding. The Bridge to Nowhere discussion is worthwhile and leads to additional questions about both myth-making and effectiveness. How good a governor has she really been.

This was clearly a bold, exciting choice by McCain. I like the fact that McCain chose an outsider, a real person, a young person, a woman. But it is also one that appears to contradict his own stated critieria for selecting a VP: That they be prepared to assume the office on day one.

No matter how capable Palin is. It strikes me that she simply does not have a sufficiently educated and broad worldview to deal with the foreign policy issues, especially regarding “the transcendental issue of our time.” If that truly is the transcendental issue, what does Ms. Palin, for all her admirable qualities, bring to the party?

I would still like to and am open to hearing more. In particular, I am curious to hear more about her conservative social views have affected her governance. Those views are not consistent with my own. But, I have noticed in some younger evangelicals both strong moral principle along with a less absolutist view in the application of their beliefs to others. Any insight into this area is appreciated.

In the end, I appreciate McCain (and presumably Palin’s) commitment to reform. It appears genuine and is much needed. In fact, I believe Obama shares this commitment, albeit has a different approach to the solution.

I will not vote for the Republican party. I appreciate their emphasis on personal responsibility. But, I live with others. Many of who have not had the same advantages in life as myself. The rugged individualism of Reagan, and which Alaska is famous for, is part of the American fabric. But we should not forget, must not forget, that we also have responsiblity to others. After all, we are all in this together.

31082008

DocRon(19:11:48) :

Evelyn… you expressed my feelings perfectly. It is soooooo very depressing. As a teacher, I’m supposed to believe that the American people aren’t that stoopid (I know how to spell it, trolls).

But the zealots really don’t care about facts at all. Or the obvious possibility that an old man working a really tough job could die & leave us with WHAT???? A pretty lady with a minor in political science?

Man I wish I drank alcohol so I could escape from this Lifetime movie of the past several days.

I agree wholeheartedly with Haley–I was not surprised that McCain would go off the wall, and instead of being a ‘bold, maverick move’ it was stupid, imho. The very first time she appeared she told a lie, and then compounded it with her ‘glass ceiling’ remark. I have known several people in my lifetime (68 years) who have her traits: vainglorious, eager to hit the limelight by claiming to have a connection to something they had nothing to do with.

McCain will follow Bush’s path, most certainly; what scares me (other than a Republican victory, however gained) is the thought of her becoming Commander in Chief. I am a 20-year military service retiree and lived in the Naval Home as it was being destroyed by the Defense Department…(Cheney, Rumsfeld and the boys).

If McCain/Palin ‘win’ the Americans lose. Big time. I’m heading out of the country if that ever happens.

i LIVE IN RENO, NV. AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A GROUP OF ANGRY WOMEN. iS IT THE CHILL UP THERE OR ARE YOU SO UNWILLING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW LIKE A REGULAR WOMAN IN THE WHITEHOUSE. SO, YOUR OTHER CHOICE IS AN INEXPERIENCED OBAMA? HE SPENT 143 DAYS ON THE JOB IN THE U.S. SENATE. WHEN THERE HE VOTED ‘PRESENT’. HE HAS A PUPPET MASTER BUT OUT OF THE 400 ADVISORS I HAVEN’T FIGURED OUT WHICH ONE IT IS YET. HE HAS A VERY INTERESTING BACKGROUND. HE IS IN THAT WAY UNLIKE ANY PRESIDENT WE HAVE HAD SO FAR. I WON’T BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS, I AM SURE EVERYONE KNOWS. THEN THERE IS BIDEN, A TYPICAL WASHINGTON POLITICIAN, GOT 2,000 VOTES WHEN HE RAN. GRANTED THERE ISN’T MUCH CHOICE, BUT I TRUST THE REPUBLICANS WITH THIS COUNTRY FAR QUICKER THAN I TRUST THE APOSTATE.

2092008

FredJ(06:52:53) :

Fascinating discussion.

Indeed, how is one never embarrassed by the US gov’t? The number of dead left in Iraq is in fact estimated between 650000 & 1200000. There’s a real possibility that we spent 1 trillion dollars to take out a dictator who was boxed in, and caused the death of 1 million people, not counting our dead & wounded young men & women from our beloved America. A lot of that money has enriched ruthless corporations who in turn lobby the party in power.

Meanwhile we have a president who vetoes healthcare bills to cover children (CHILDREN WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE, in the richest country in the world?????)

So yes, I’m embarrassed. And Barack Obama makes me proud of my country. Proud that we could elect a man of color after our history of racism. Proud of his story and proud that he is smart and thoughtful.

As for Palin, the comments from Alaskan politicians sure opened my eyes. But then again, George W. Bush was president, folks. She could not be any worse, could she…? (though I’d rather not find out)

2092008

anon(07:19:35) :

Dar, please take off the caps.

2092008

Michael(23:50:13) :

susants says, in part, “Most people take her selection as an insult to accomplished women and to the American people.” My question to susants is: Are you insane? Please explain in detail how this is an insult to accomplished women and to the American people.

dp says, in part, “I personally am severely embarrassed, particularly upon hearing that upwards of 600,000 Iraqi people have died as a result of our invasion. Yes, died” My question to dp: What is the flavor of the Kool-Aid you are drinking, because that figure is a LIE, pure and simple. You neglect to mention that most civilians have died there due to action by terrorists such as homicide-bombers), not due to direct action by our great troops. And yes, I am willing to believe our country is right before I believe any other country is right. “Duty to dissent” – all right, I can buy that, but not at the expense of being seditious or treasonous. There are avenues for dissent. But when those avenues are exhausted, you need to accept that your opinions or desire did not sway the majority of people in positions of power.

FredJ says, in part, “Proud that we could elect a man of color after our history of racism.” History of racism, or are you referring to slavery? Please name for me a country (whether in existence today or not) that did not have racial problems or a history that included slavery. Please name for me the political party that demanded in its national platform that Congress not interfere with “domestic institutions” such as slavery (granted, this platform was passed in the mid-1800’s). I’ll give you a hint: the Democratic party. Please name the party of former Alabama governor George Wallace, who stood in the doorway of an educational institution to prevent racial integration. I’ll give you a hint: the Democratic party. Yeah, yeah, I know you will throw atrocious examples of Republicans back at me, but at least the R’s have worked against racism since the party’s founding (their platform form the mid-1800’s spoke out against the practice of slavery). Why don’t you focus on something besides color? Why are you and your fellow libs so obsessed with skin-color?

Mujeralta (tall woman) says, in part, “She’s lead a life sheltered by both her far-away location and her religion.” What are you saying? That ordinary citizens from Alaska cannot be considered for national office because they live (or grew up) so far away form Washington D.C.? And are you saying that her religion keeps her ill-informed about the world and world affairs? Are you saying that you are more qualified than she to hold such an elected office?

Wildspirit says, in part, “If McCain/Palin ‘win’ the Americans lose. Big time. I’m heading out of the country if that ever happens.” Well, then: Goodbye!

oxymoron says, in part, ” But, I live with others. Many of who have not had the same advantages in life as myself. The rugged individualism of Reagan, and which Alaska is famous for, is part of the American fabric. But we should not forget, must not forget, that we also have responsiblity to others.” I must be the first to clue you in on this, but Republicans live and work with others as well. And Republicans realize that others may not have had some of the same opportunities as you or others like you. But the fact that we “have responsiblity to others” does not mean that we need to pamper or coddle those that do not want to improve their lot in life. Yes, there are those kind of people whether you believe it or not. There are people out there that want everything handed to them – they do not want to work hard and achieve some measure of success. They do not take advantage of the one equalizer that is available to EVERYONE, FREE OF CHARGE – public education. So don’t lecture Republicans on the need to take care of others – heck, conservatives give more to charity than liberals. Please walk the walk before insinuating that Republicans ignore the needy.

I have added you to my blog list.
Nice blog too.
I agree that this blog is THE blog for Alaska news.

3092008

James(09:52:40) :

Great information on Palin!

About 3 weeks ago I stumbled on to some youtube videos of Palin where folks were making fun of how she dresses. I didn’t even know who she was until then, but thought she (her wardrobe) was entertaining. When it was announced she became the VP pick, I caught myself laughing out loud.

3092008

kawkaw(19:42:04) :

just watched her speech- she’s hilarious. Interesting..I’m undeclared party but like that she’s not an elitist, a washington insider and such. She’s got sex appeal that will attract and motivate men. Hell- i’d rather see her as President than VP. She seems to speak her mind and – love her delivery and such.
I don’t agree with all of Republican policies- however-I put the nation before my personal desires..I don’t agree with all the Democratic policies and ideas either…but I see more long term social and structural damage from fallout of Dem..than fallout of Rep.

3092008

RAH(20:05:37) :

DAR using all capital letters violates basic English composition. Of course trusting Republicans more than Democrats for running this country goes against basic logic. What cave have you been living in the last eight years?

Brilliant stuff. Hope you don’t mind me quoting you liberally and effusively on my blog dedicated to your mud-slinging gov. Here’s what may be tonight’s greatest irony: in their attempt to discredit Obama for building his credentials on great speech making the Republicans drag into the spotlight . . . a woman whose claim to fame is the ability to impress people with a great speech. Nothing in her resume suggests anything even closely resembling competency on the national stage. But, boy, can this woman talk!

Of course there are other ironies too delicious for words . . . . . But you do such a great job of highlighting them that I find myself speechless at this point.

Keep up the good work . . . And here’s hoping that you become the next “must read blog” for people actually interested in learning the truth about the most incredibly ill-considered VP pick in American history.

Yeah, I agree with the lady who wrote about the shrill voice and the body language. I had teachers like that. They were awful and self-righteous. I don’t know if she is a liar, but I suspect so. One should never try to solve a family issue by using the power of a public office, no matter how low that office might be. That is just common sense. She strikes me as uneducated and full of herself.

Thanks for the great read this morning.

4092008

Caferay(13:47:11) :

What can McCain possibly do to change the culture that created and now sponsors him? Thanks for so many thoughtful commentaries on the dog and pony show that is the selection and presentation of Sarah Palin as the next best thing to cure America, thanks to the Cheney – Rove – Norquist – Addington – John Yoo – Jack Abramoff juggernaut. I am not trying to smear McCain with Bush dirt balls. But let’s face it, these guys, the juggernaut, run this country. They do not intend to step down unless to put another boot on America’s neck. That “maverick” McCain will not and cannot denounce the juggernaut betrays his utter lack of independence from the Republican mothership. And now we are force-fed an arrogant, self-congratulating upstart. The difference between a pit bull hockey mom and the current Republican vice-president? Spin. I guess I’m a little steamed listening to Giuliani and Palin snidely and cynically dump on Obama’s record as a man and the community that he serves and that supports him.

5092008

Cassie(18:59:36) :

So much of the past week has reminded me of high school: the mean and petty antics; the snide and snippy remarks; the fast breaking rumors; the outright lies; the amateur efforts to keep hidden that which is obvious; and, most of all, the feeling that this Friday night’s football (hockey) game trivializes a pivotal decision for America.

It is worth considering that Sarah Palin is being prepped, not for a run for vice president in a few weeks, but to be the presidential candidate in 2016. I have great faith that Barack Obama will be elected in November and will lead our country in a more thoughtful and measured direction.

When his two terms are served, Hillary Clinton will likely make a run. She will still be younger than John McCain is now…and Sarah Palin could just be her (by then) well prepped opponent. As in choosing a female VP candidate, the Republican Party is usually a little late in acknowledging a good idea. Similarly, the Republican Party, in 2016, could follow the lead of Democrats today and hand the torch of leadership to a younger generation. I envision the two conventions looking very much like the ones just concluded, except for the genders of the candidates. Imitation is, after all, the most sincere form of flattery.

Kurt Vonnegut once observed that the depressing thing about attaining 50 was the realization that the world was being run by people you went to high school with…and Sarah Palin is “so high school”.

6092008

vahana(00:39:17) :

How interesting that “Dar,” she who screams at this community in capital letters, rails against “the apostate,” whom she thinks is a Democrat. The log in her eye has obviously blinded her to the many Republican apostasies that were paraded on the RNC Convention stage this week. Apostasy, after all, is the abandonment of one’s principles (or faith or creed, etc.), and one need not look far to find evidence and Sarah Palin and John McCain have in their various ways committed acts that signify their abandonment of the Republican party’s fiscally conservative principles. Links to the evidence are scattered throughout other pages of this blog, so, Dar, please pardon me for not doing your homework for you.

The apostate’s gap between speech and action can be called hypocrisy, and, Michael, this hypocrisy is what embarrasses me about the Republican party and, especially, our president for the last 7.75 years. You take the “Dixiecrat” wing of the Democratic party–and its cheerleader George Wallace to task for its segregationist views. How does Republican Barry Goldwater’s opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 fit with your revisionist history of a Republican party that has “worked against racism since the party’s founding”? Is this quote evidence of historial ignorance or something else?

Let’s leave the distant past in the fog of history and look at Republican behavior on behalf of America’s diverse population groups in recent years, focusing on voting rights. There is overwhelming evidence that Ohio’s Republican-controlled voter registration and election procedures administration prevented appropximately 1 million voters in predominantly African-American precincts from voting. Republican officials scubbed these voters’ names from registration rolls, reduced the number of voting machines distributed to these precincts, supplied these precincts with voting machines that were broken and failed to replaced them once they were identified, and used several other dirty tricks to disenfranchise Black voters whose Democratic party affiliation was presumed to threaten Ken Blackwell’s promise, as chair of the “Committee to Re-elect George Bush,” to deliver Ohio to the Republican party. By the way, Mr. Blackwell’s day job was Chief Elections Official of Ohio. Can you say “conflict of interest,” Michael? Given that George W. Bush took Ohio’s electoral votes by less than 5,000 popular votes, the fact the 1 million Black voters could not vote seems like a strange example of Republican largesse to people of color.

Finally, let’s re-examine your point in raising the Republican party’s service to the needy. I don’t have the evidence to debate whether Republicans do, in general fact, donate more to charity than do Democrats (I have seen statistics, though, from the Obamas’ and the McCains’ tax records, and find find that for 2006 and 2007, the Obamas donated a higher percentage of their income than did the McCains). I am qualified, however, to take you to task on your comments regarding this statement: And Republicans realize that others may not have had some of the same opportunities as you or others like you. But the fact that we “have responsiblity to others” does not mean that we need to pamper or coddle those that do not want to improve their lot in life. Yes, there…are people out there that want everything handed to them – they do not want to work hard and achieve some measure of success. They do not take advantage of the one equalizer that is available to EVERYONE, FREE OF CHARGE – public education.”

Public education is under attack by Republican proposals and policies that promote No Child Left Behind accountability through standardized testing and school vouchers for parent choice. Based on a failed project piloted in Houston schools–where statistics showing increased school drop-out rates were “cooked” to show improvements in student testing performance, thereby implying increases in student learning–NCLB has since become one of America’s shames. Yes, some schools have met the increased academic standards, but there are now some who properly question whether students really are learning as much in a given grade as they did two, three, or four decades ago. If NCLB is so good for America, why do our students’ testing results in math and science continue to slide to lower and lower rankings among students across the globe? These results are not justifiable simply by pointing to lazy, unmotivated students. Something is terribly wrong with the NCLB formula.

One thing wrong about NCLB is how it ignores state school funding mandates. In California, for example (and perhaps elsewhere, too), schools are mandated to provide a wide array of special education services, even if this mandate causes detriment to regular education. As services provided to average and gifted students are cut–no art, no music, no physical education, no after-school programs, no field trips, etc.–parents clamor for choice–for charter schools, magnet schools, vouchers for private schools–and when their students leave the public school, the public’s school’s funding is cut due to enrollment decline. But the special education services must go on. In short, Republican education policy is strangling public schools, the once-great “equalizer” of American children. Republican education policy is transforming American education; right under our noses, this policy is creating a tiered, economically stratified system of education in which “the haves” can be well educated and the “have nots” can struggle without “the same opportunities as you and others like you.” Yes, there are real problems with America’s education system, but only warped minds would think that killing it is as good as fixing it.

I shouldn’t mention–I already said “Finallly–the Republican hypocrisy, cleary displayed at the recent convention, of waving “Service” signs all over the hall and in McCain’s calling “my friends” to take up service careers and avocations all the while denigrating Obama’s work as a community organizer. Community organization is service work, too: COs help the downtrodden get to the opportunities that have been denied to them. But what I find about many Republicans I meet is that it’s so easy to cut off funding for community service programs and then call downtrodden people lazy when, in the absence of such programs, they cannot rise up and repair their own lives. Republicans, apparently, love to blame the victims of our society’s greed and disregard. They also love to parade their Christian values. But didn’t Christ say, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto others” and “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”? Have we been called to judge the souls of others and distribute our largesse based on our opinions? Or have we been called to give charity to all as if we were giving that charity to Christ?

6092008

shifter(10:53:05) :

Over the years a co-optation of government by Christian fundamentalism in the neocon right has brought us to the marvelous point at which we find ourselves today. We are living in a country where there is not only no separation of church and state but where the state IS the church, the religion is jingoism. We live in a state where our liberties have been sacrificed on the altar of security and our government is idolized. Anyone speaking out against the government is unpatriotic and becomes the target of the new scribes and Pharisees.

I have taken the liberty to compose the Nationalist’s Creed, the creed of jingoism. If you agree with this, pass it on, memorize it and recite it with your friends as you wrap yourselves in the flag. If you disagree, just act like you agree. It would be politically incorrect to do otherwise and crucifixion could result.

The Nationalist Creed
I believe in the flag, the mother almighty, standard of all that is good and righteous. And in capitalism the holy way of life conceived of by kings before our birth. I believe in the United States of America, the all powerful nation that can do no wrong. I believe in the constitution that springs from the bible and is defended by our mighty force; and in its law through which my deeds are justified. I adore marvelous bounty purchased with currency and the lives of heroes set between me and the axis of evil in the name of Jesus. Amen

Hey, Palin is interesting in that she seems both down to earth and ambitious. She seems like she may be very genuine. Can’t tell if she is genuinely close-minded or has her own beliefs but will respect the beliefs of others. Anyway, as for experience, she has a lot of convincing to do. Perhaps, she is qualified to be VP. But unless the McCain campaign gives us a chance to see her in unscripted occassions and get to know her views of foreign policy and national defense, then I can not in good conscience vote the Republican ticket. Is she a foreign policy realist, neocon, or isolationist? Her flirtation with Buchanan makes me concerned.

By the way, I am an independent who has been leaning more toward the Democrats the last few years. I think Clinton let down the country with his personal failings. I think Bush deceived the nation into war in Iraq, blew up the budget and favored the rich. I can’t stand the Democratic blowhards like Pelosi and Reid whose transparent political motives overshadow their policies. I hate when the Republicans try and claim they are “the real Americans” questioning the patriotism and moral values of those who feel differently. I have always liked McCain but don’t like the sarcasm and vitriol of his campaign. I am impressed by Obama, but concerned about his compromising his convictions. I am watching carefully to see who to vote for. Right now, it would be Obama.

6092008

little debbie(18:42:35) :

uh…just wanted to comment on the beautiful pictures…will duck out now before the political sniper fire catches me!

8092008

FactChecker(19:48:59) :

You should be more concerned about her “flirtation” with the Alaska secession movement. Imagine any other mainstream candidate running with a spouse that belonged to a party advocating that a state leave the union. That hasn’t happened since 1861. Or, be concerned that she doesn’t know what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are. Or that the McCain campaign won’t let her do a real press conference because she knows nothing–NOTHING–about foreign policy. I’m all for new faces. But we are still in the middle of two wars. We are seeing economic collapse after collapse. Even though Palin doesn’t believe in global warming, the planet is heating up and scientists say that we have to try to do something to save ourselves and our kids. The biggest sign that McCain won’t change anything is his nomination of Palin. He cares so little about the country that he didn’t pick the very best person to be president if something happened to him.